Trump comments on Biden’s drop-out speech

The current White House is an embarrassment to America, the Republican nominee has said

US President Joe Biden’s speech announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race was embarrassing for the country, according to his predecessor and current Republican candidate for president, Donald Trump.

Biden gave a ten-minute speech from the White House on Wednesday evening in which he formally announced he was no longer seeking reelection this fall and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to replace him on the Democratic ticket. 

“Crooked Joe Biden’s Oval Office speech was barely understandable, and sooo bad!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “Crooked Joe Biden and Lyin’ Kamala Harris are a great embarrassment to America – there has never been a time like this!” 

His campaign later released a photo of Trump on board his private jet posing next to the TV screen showing a tired Biden struggling with his lines.

“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all merit a second term. But nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,” Biden said at one point.

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Biden tells Americans why he quit presidential race

The video announcement came three days after a post on X (formerly Twitter), in which Biden announced his exit from the race – but not from the presidency – in favor of Harris. 

The 81-year-old had been under growing pressure from his party leaders, donors and the media to step down ever since the disastrous June 27 debate against Trump, but kept insisting he was still in the race.

On July 13, just before the Republican convention, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Three days later, Biden’s staff announced that the president had caught Covid-19 and had to be flown to his Delaware home for recovery.

“It is not about his health. I can say no, that’s not the reason,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday, but would not say what the actual reason for Biden dropping out may have been.

“If everyone acknowledges that he’s incapable of running a campaign, he’s clearly not capable of running the country,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters over the weekend.

Harris has since taken over Biden’s war chest, printed signs and filmed a campaign video. She is yet to be officially nominated by the Democrats, but the party has said it would do so in a “virtual roll call” prior to the national convention, scheduled for August 19 in Chicago.